The Town (Warner Brothers)
Affleck A Better Director Than Actor
Ben Affleck certainly shows his talent as a director with the new film The Town. He elicits some strong performances in the film and keeps the reins tight as he steers the plot through a variety of twists and turns. It is two hits in a row for his directing style since he also proved his talent with Gone, Baby, Gone. Now if he had only turned in an above average performance as an actor in this film he would be way ahead of the game. Didnt happen.
The plot of the movie concerns a band of bank robbers living in Charleston, Massachusetts. At the first of the film they rob a bank in Boston and take a clerk named Claire (Rebecca Hall) hostage. They let her go but one of the robbers, James (Jeremy Renner), thinks they have a problem with what she saw.
The leader of the group, Doug MacRay (Affleck) says he will check her out. This leads to complications as he falls in love with her. James doesnt like this at all because she might have seen something and will recognize it through her closeness to Doug. He also dislikes the fact that Doug had been romantically involved with his sister Krista (Blake Lively) before he moved on to Claire.
Affleck, as director of the film, handles this plot with skill and attention to detail. As an actor he flounders. He and Hall have no chemistry together and their characters relationship is not believable in the least. These two are actually the weakest actors in the cast. It should also be noted that if you are not pulling for Afflecks character in some little way then the movies outcome will be of little interest to you.
Renner, who was so good in The Hurt Locker, turns in another first rate performance as James. This character is a walking time bomb in the movie and when he is on screen all others fade away. Also outstanding is Lively as the dissolute Krista. When you consider her performance on Gossip Girl and stack it up against this one, her range of talent is amazing.
Jon Hamm plays an FBI Agent investigating the robberies. His performance is lackluster and his screen charisma is zero. Pete Postlethwaite and Chris Cooper make more of a splash as Dougs boss and father. Both of these roles are small so we dont see that much of them.
The movie is rated R for profanity, violence and sexual situations.
The Town should solidify Afflecks reputation as a talented director. He got an Oscar nomination for Amy Ryan when he directed her in Gone, Baby, Gone. This time he might do the same for Renner, Lively or both. Perhaps his next acting role in “The Company Men will elevate his acting status.
The Town is an interesting movie that is marred by having Affleck and Hall playing the lead couple. Their lack of chemistry and appeal to the audience makes the movie less entertaining and interesting than it should otherwise be.
I scored The Town a municipal 6 out of 10.
